We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christian Simon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christian below.

Christian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Risk-taking is necessary to achieve a certain level of success. The biggest risk I took, took place in 2018. After 8 years of living in the same city and three years of working with the same company, I decided to leave it all. After my boyfriend passed away my whole life changed, and my focus shifted. I knew that where I was wasn’t where I wanted to forever be. I knew I was meant for greater. Up until then, I was acting on the side, but my heart wanted to do it full-time. In August 2018, I left my life in Louisiana and moved back home to Texas to start my journey of working professionally as an actor and healing from the trauma of the loss of my boyfriend. I started in Community theatre to get myself in the door and I gradually started to book professional gigs. I auditioned for as much as possible to get my name out there, I took dance lessons and I took voice lessons, all so I could be as prepared as possible. By 2019 I was working full-time as a performing artist and in 2021 I became a published author. My first book Getting to Okay chronicles my life after the death of my boyfriend and my journey to a happier me. Although preparation is important, at some point, preparation must end, and you simply must go for it. I think what sets me apart from some people, is that I don’t just dream, I make a plan and then I go for it. I’m an executor. That’s why I’m successful. My advice: take the risk.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was born and raised in Texas by my amazing and supportive mother and father. As a child, I was involved in many things, dance, orchestra, band, basketball, cheerleading, choir, track, volunteering at my church, etc. Needless to say, I always stayed busy. After graduating from Lamar Consolidated High school, I attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where I majored in Theater Performance with a minor in Dance. Post-graduation, I remained in Louisiana for four more years, working both in Corporate America in administration and as an actor and dancer. After the untimely death of my long-term boyfriend, my mental health suffered severely, and I needed some more support. This caused me to move back home to Texas to be closer to my family, it also caused me to look more closely at my mental health. I become laser-focused on the importance of mental health. With support from my family, church, and a mental health professional, I’ve been able to overcome severe depression. My experience with grief helped me write my first book, Getting to Okay: How to Deal with loss, grief, and disappointment. I then made it my mission to help others on their mental health journey. I now work professionally as an actor and dancer; performing for different theatres throughout the Houston area, I teach Theater and dance for multiple theater companies and studios, and I am currently working on my next book, geared towards helping children deal with grief.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve had many hurdles along my journey. Although I talk about the death of my boyfriend a lot, the truth is, that is only a portion of my story. I always knew that working in the Performing Arts Industry would be signing up for uncertainty, particularly when first getting started. The Professional Theatre Industry can be hard to get into. You often hear a lot of no’s before you get a yes. You can audition for tons of roles, but it can sometimes take time before you land roles that will really make you money. Additionally, until recently, there were not as many roles for African American Women. When I first started acting professionally, I can remember walking into auditions and wanting to ask, “Do you actually hire black people, or is this a waste of time?”. Of course, I never actually asked that question, but it was always in the back of my mind. Even now when I look at theater companies today, the lack of diversity in some of them is astonishing. To think that in 2023, there are still some companies not even pushing for diversity is truly unfortunate. Luckily, I’ve paved a way for myself and am able to stay booked regularly and happily work full-time in the Performing Arts Industry.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being on stage is magical. It’s a feeling like no other. As performing artists, we have the honor of telling different people’s stories. The beautiful thing about theatre is that it depicts real life. Through acting and movement, we are able to educate the audience of different human experiences. I love theatre because we get to touch the hearts of so many people. We hear their laughs, we see them cry, we hear their gasps, they become part of the show. Together for two hours or so we all, the performer s and audience alike get to be a part of a shared experience. That’s what makes theatre so special, that’s why it’s so rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christiandsimon.com
• Instagram: @chrissypoo_14
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christian.simon.58173

Image Credits
Roland Baker of Rolovision Photography Kevyn Miller Photography Shandra Wilkinson